Fried, frozen and fruity: Here are 5 new foods to try at the California State Fair
Food is a must-have at the California State Fair. Whether you’re there for the nostalgic funnel cake, have a goal of trying as many crazy fair foods as you can, or need a bite to eat after a long day of thrill rides, you’ll probably be snacking or sipping at the fair.
To guide you through this year’s new additions — whether that be cheese-centered snacks or some desserts to cool off in what is sure to be a hot week, The Bee’s intern team tried food from five vendors making their California State Fair debut. Here are some of the things we enjoyed, how much they cost, and where to find them at the fair.
Board & Bites
Enter the Save Mart Wine Garden and you’ll immediately spot the stand selling heaps of meats and cheeses. This fair food option lets you snack on charcuterie of your own invention. Options abound from brie and blue cheese, salami and prosciutto, kalamata olives, strawberries and whole wheat crackers.
For $35, you can build your own board, which includes two cheeses, two meats, three fruits or vegetables, crackers and a souvenir wooden cutting board branded with California in the corner. And if you don’t want to make any decisions, you could select a Valley Proud Board with charcuterie that all originates from the Sacramento Valley, or a Save Mart Savory Sampler. Both are $35 as well.
Although it’s not the cheapest bite around, it’s a great snack to share with two to four friends and pair with a wine slushie that you can pick up just behind the cart.
Brian’s Baked Potatoes
A fried, spiralized potato stretched out on a stick is an instantly recognizable fair classic, and now it’s joining this year’s state fair food lineup. They’re offering a unique range of toppings and flavors, including pulled pork and chili cheese for their fries and pico de gallo and carne asada on their whole, buttered baked potato. For the crispy potato on-a-stick try lemon pepper or garlic Parmesan for $14.
Load up a whole baked potato for a base cost of $10 and $2-$6 per topping, or dig into their $14 fries, $16 with meat toppings. Brian’s is sure to fill you up whichever route you go, so pick a few toppings and split your starchy snack with a friend.
Cheesy Chef
If you love cheese, then this is a State Fair must for you! They’ve got classic grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese bites and cheese curds. And if you’re looking for a full meal, the stand-out stars are the Monte Cristo sandwich and the one-pound mozzarella log.
The Monte Cristo sandwich features French toast bread filled with ham, turkey and melted Swiss and cheddar cheeses. The whole thing is dusted with powdered sugar and topped with pancake syrup. It’ll cost you $16 for the hearty meal, which we thought was worth it for the size of the sandwich.
If you happen to still be hungry after that, they have a one-pound block of deep-fried mozzarella cheese for $20. It’s a hulking, melty mozzarella stick that’s a great snack to split with friends. We recommend spending an extra dollar and eating it with some of the stand’s homemade ranch.
Ohana Hawaiian Shaved Ice
Several days at the State Fair are slated to be sweltering, with temperatures ranging from mid-90s to over 100 degrees. One of the best ways to cool off is to grab a fresh, fruity frozen treat from Ohana Hawaiian Shaved Ice. This food truck offers more than 25 different flavors, including passion fruit, blue raspberry, piña colada and Tiger’s Blood. An eight-ounce cup of shaved ice goes for $10 and you can choose up to three flavors.
Want to level up your shaved ice order? Get the pineapple bowl for $15. It features a huge scoop of pineapple shaved ice topped with coconut flakes that rests in half of a pineapple. It’s the ultimate shareable dessert to counter summer heat.
Build a Sundae
Looking for a different kind of treat to cool off with? Perhaps one with more dairy? Look no further than the new Build A Sundae truck, just down the road from Ohana Hawaiian Shaved Ice. Paired with classic syrup flavors the sundaes come with unlimited toppings — brownies, whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries — you name it.
The truck is based in Rancho Cordova and appears at events and pop-up locations, so you may be familiar with their work. But for the State Fair, Build a Sundae introduced two exclusives: the Banana Pudding Sundae and the Creamy Caramel Almond Crunch Sundae.
All sundaes come in a regular size for $13 or a large for $20.
What else is new?
If none of the above pique your interest, here are some other dazzling new options to try at the State Fair this year.
BunBoa: Teriyaki chicken, pork belly and veggie bao buns
Gold Rush Ritas: Refreshing margaritas
Reggae Rasta Styles: Savory curry patties, jerk chicken and jerk pork
Fry Burger: burgers with deep-fried patties and cheese
How to save on fair food
If you want to taste more fair foods on a budget, visit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday or Thursdays, when food vendors will have one food item on their menus for $4.
This story was originally published July 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
